Restorative Environmental Art is a collaboration and art form used to inspire people to restore the damage done to the earth and to give back in a reverent and ecologically appropriate way. In concrete terms, restorative environmental art means integrating remediation or restoration techniques in an artful way. In Restorative Environmental Art (REA) the art is functional and beautiful. The art participates in the restoration while it also serves to inspire humans visually and educationally to reconnect to land, water, air, soil, and to the needs and processes of all life on earth, not just humans.
For me, this idea arose from connecting the dots of land art, rewilding, permaculture, restoration methods, and environmental art. I had a sense that land art could be useful to the land, that humans could grow up from the idea of being mothered from the earth and we could become healers, stewards, and co-creators to a regenerating process.
What if we gave back a little of the energy we take to live, to nurture life for all of life, not just humans? How might we restore erosion in a stylised way that captures attention enough for passersby to understand that the earth moved, plants planted, and water diverted in this beautiful way is protected land art to protect the healing land.
This project necessitates connecting scientists and artists and a supportive community for installation and protection. This is a big vision that I hope to find the right land base and organisation willing to work with me to test this as an art program. I've been very inspired and reaching out to apropos organizations to test interest and funding. For more ideas and examples artists such as Mel Chin and Colleen Flanigan have works that communicate this idea. This link tells more about the history of public art in this vein.
The Sunflower Project was a micro-scale experiment where I tested the soil of my garden and found that it was covered in lead and not safe for planting a veggie garden, especially with leafy greens. So I planted sunflowers to draw out the lead from the top 6 inches of soil. I had them tested and they pulled some lead out indeed. Sadly, there is a lot of lead in SE Portland from an industrial site that burned lead-laden articles and the lead spread in the smoke and settled in yards in the inner southeast. Many people don't test their soil or know how contaminated it really is. I want to plant an public awareness focused art installation in a school yard or public space. I'd fill it with sunflowers to help draw people and have signage regarding the lead hazard while areas of the sunflower patch was a performance space for dancers.
For me, this idea arose from connecting the dots of land art, rewilding, permaculture, restoration methods, and environmental art. I had a sense that land art could be useful to the land, that humans could grow up from the idea of being mothered from the earth and we could become healers, stewards, and co-creators to a regenerating process.
What if we gave back a little of the energy we take to live, to nurture life for all of life, not just humans? How might we restore erosion in a stylised way that captures attention enough for passersby to understand that the earth moved, plants planted, and water diverted in this beautiful way is protected land art to protect the healing land.
This project necessitates connecting scientists and artists and a supportive community for installation and protection. This is a big vision that I hope to find the right land base and organisation willing to work with me to test this as an art program. I've been very inspired and reaching out to apropos organizations to test interest and funding. For more ideas and examples artists such as Mel Chin and Colleen Flanigan have works that communicate this idea. This link tells more about the history of public art in this vein.
The Sunflower Project was a micro-scale experiment where I tested the soil of my garden and found that it was covered in lead and not safe for planting a veggie garden, especially with leafy greens. So I planted sunflowers to draw out the lead from the top 6 inches of soil. I had them tested and they pulled some lead out indeed. Sadly, there is a lot of lead in SE Portland from an industrial site that burned lead-laden articles and the lead spread in the smoke and settled in yards in the inner southeast. Many people don't test their soil or know how contaminated it really is. I want to plant an public awareness focused art installation in a school yard or public space. I'd fill it with sunflowers to help draw people and have signage regarding the lead hazard while areas of the sunflower patch was a performance space for dancers.
